After a rollercoaster ride that led her from her native Venezuela to Manhattan, back to Venezuela and briefly to Concordia (N.Y.) College, Janette Kizer-Antiles ultimately arrived at Columbia in 1990 and helped establish the women’s tennis team as a power in the East region.

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Kizer-Antiles moved to Manhattan at age seven as her mother earned her master’s degree from Columbia. It was at the Sutton East Tennis Club in Manhattan that Kizer-Antiles first picked up a racket, and her talent began to shine.

After spending three years in New York, Kizer-Antiles and her family returned to Venezuela where she became a top-ranked junior player. She reached the number-one ranking in the country in doubles and was third in singles. Her tennis prowess earned her a scholarship to Concordia in nearby Westchester County.

Following a season at Concordia, Kizer-Antiles transferred to Columbia. A shoulder injury caused her to miss her entire sophomore season, but she finished her career with back-to-back first team All-Ivy League accolades, becoming the first women’s tennis player in Columbia history to earn All-Ivy recognition.

Kizer-Antiles remains one of only two Columbia athletes to earn consecutive first team All-Ivy League honors. In 1999, she was named to the Ivy League Silver Anniversary team.

Her accomplishments were not limited to the tennis court, as she posted a 3.83 cumulative grade point average at Barnard College as an economics major. She earned the Marion R. Phillips Watch as a senior, an award given to the graduating Columbia senior female student-athlete with the highest grade point average.

After graduating from Barnard in 1992, Kizer-Antiles earned a master’s degree from Columbia Business School in 1997. She is married to former Columbia men’s tennis player Seth Antiles.